Adjustable crutch



' bodying a novel form of adjusting mecha- Patented Sept. 16, 1924. q

. EDWARD P. `GAYEIIIT'Y, OF DYERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

ADJUs'rABLE sauren;

Applikation mea Aumher 2, 1923. serial m. 666,176.

To all whom 'it may; concern."

.Be it known that I, EDWARD P. 'GAYETTL a citizen of the United Statesgand a resident of Dyerville, county of Humboldt, State of California, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Crutch, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionv relates .to adjustable crutches and has for its primary object the provision of'a deviceof this character emnism whereby the length ofthe crutch can be adjusted Vat will to meet every requirement and convenience of the'user and in a manner whereby adjustment can be made by the user while the arm rest and co-acting hand grip are in their intended relation to the arm and hand of the user.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a crutch having novel adjusting meanswhereby its length can be regulated quickly and the adjustment retained against accidental derangement. o

Astill further object of the invention is .to provide means whereby an ordinary crutch staff can be quickly converted from a fixed form to an adjustable form.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of this character which will be strong and durable, simple and in#` expensive of manufacture and one whose parts will afford maximum adjustment of the crutch to meet all requirements. My invention, therefore, comprises cer tain new`featur'es of construction and arrangement and combination of elements Vhereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims annexed hereto.

IIIPn the drawings re 1 is a viewin side elevation of the crutc Figure 2 a vertical section taken along line II--II of Figure 1, Figure 3 a horizontal section taken along line III-III of Figure 1 and Fi re 4 a perspective detail view of a nut hel in a bracket against rotation. l

In carrying the invention'into practice use is made of a well known form of staff (5) bifurcated at (6) s"o` as to provide branches 7-7 'having parallel upper portions The arm rest (9) may be of any suitable well known construction capable of attachment to the elevating and lowering` frame. w4This frame comprises two plates (11) con- A'-iected together by straps or loops (12) that have sliding engagement with the parallel extensions (8-8).

The lower straps (12) are provided with bearing brackets (13) in which screws (14) are mounted to revolve. These screws are swivelled at (15) to said brackets `(13) and same are extended through guide numbers (16) mounted on the inner surfaces of said branches (7-7) as clearly shown in Figure 1. The upper ends of these screws are provided with beveled gears (17) arranged in mesh with corresponding gears (18) xed to the shaft (19) which carries an intermediate hand grip (20). This hand grip is positioned in 'constant relation to the arm rest (9) so that when grasped in the hand of the user of the crutch it may be revolved to thereby impart motion to the elevating and lowering screws (14). In order that these screws will move with the arm rest (9) and the -hand grip (20) in such manner as will cause relative adjustments of the frame and the stati', the guides (16) 'are provided with fixed nuts (21) which lco-act with the screws, as shown in Figure 1.

From the foregoing description it ismanifest that means are provided whereby the crutch can be either lengthened or shortened to suit varying requirements and to cause the crutch to properly accommodate itself to the determined height of the person using it. It will be further `understood that such range of adjustment can be had that will permit the crutch to properly accommodate itself to persons of differentheights. It will further be appreciated from the nature of the construction of the adjustable frame that same is applicable to a staff of ordinary wel] known form and that such staff can be readily converted into one that is adjustable. This is particularly desirable for the reason that crutches of the fixed type now in use can be quickly converted adjusted with respect to'each other,` the intermeshing gears (17) and (18) constitute means which through frietional action ref' tain adjustments of the crutch sections.

I claim:

1. A crutch having a slidably extendible frame, an arm rest and a revolvable hand grip on one portion of the frame, and means revolvablc with said hand grip adapted for sliding the frame portions positively in either direction relative to one another.

2. A crutch comprising a staff having parallel extensions and a frame eoaeting with saidextensions and slidable thereon, the frame including an arm rest and a revolvable grip disposed in fixed relation to the arm rest, and means between the grip and the staff actuated upon revolving the grip adapted for effecting sliding adjustmento the frame on the extensions, and for holding the frame in any adjusted position with the grip stationary.

3. A crutch comprising a staff havin a slidably adjustable arm rest, a revolva le grip carried by the arm rest, and screw means between the grip. and the staff adapted for effecting sliding adjustment of ythe arm rest on the stall upon revolving the grip.

4. A crutch comprising a. staff having a bifurcated portion terminating in two upbetween the grip and the stafffor effecting f adjustments of the frame on said staff,v a

` gear on the screw means, and a gear on the p grip intermeshing with the first said gear. 6. A crutch comprising relatively separable sections, a revolving hand j grip` mounted to rotate in one section, and gear means between the grip and the other sec-V tion for sliding the-sections relatively.

EDWARD r.. GA YE'rTY; 

